


Teena Mulder Was an Athlete

by muldersboyishenthousiasm



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-25 22:38:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12045750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muldersboyishenthousiasm/pseuds/muldersboyishenthousiasm
Summary: “Mulder, how come you swim so well?”





	Teena Mulder Was an Athlete

“Mulder, how come you swim so well?”

He raises an eyebrow.

“I was taught. And I practice a lot.”

She sighs.

“I mean, where does the interest in learning comes from?”

He smiles.

“Oh. Long story.”

She shrugs.

“I’ve got all my time. We just boarded that plane and we’ve got quite a flight ahead of us.”

He bites his lower lip lightly.

“Alright then. What do you want to know?”

She frowns, wondering where to begin.

“Who taught you?”

He closes his eyes briefly.

“My mother did.”

Scully widens her eyes.

“Really?”

He looks at her inquisitively.

"Yes."

“It’s just that… I can’t imagine your mother in a swimming suit.”

A smile plays on his lips.

“Right… Well, she was a heck of a good swimmer in her younger years. She actually won a few awards for her multiple performances when she used to race for her high school swimming team.”

Her interest has been peaked and she frowns when she asks her question.

“Teena Mulder was on her high school swimming team?”

He nods.

“And she later got accepted in a collegial swimming program. It was awfully competitive at the time. Probably still is. Well, it was when I went there a few years later.”

Scully looks at him in awe.

“You were on your college’s swimming team, Mulder?”

Silence.

“Were you a good competitive swimmer?”

He shrugs.

“I guess. I bet it was the only reason they tolerated my presence on the team. I made them win. Most of the trophies the team brought back from competitions had my name on them.”

She blinks twice but remains silent.

“Coach once told me that it had been eight years since the team had won anything in individual races. He wanted to keep winning: so he began to give me extra hard trainings to increase my performances.”

Scully finally recovers from her surprise.

“So you’ve been swimming since then.”

He tries to stretch his legs under the seat in front of him.

“I have. Well actually, my mom brought me to the public pool when I was only a baby. When Samantha got old enough, she packed her swimming suit with ours. Then we would go to the pool or the beach and spend long days playing in the water and learning how to swim. My father never came with us. He was way too busy with his job.”

She puts a comforting hand on his forearm and squeezes lightly.

“So he missed the day I made a 50-meters lap on my own. He missed the time Samantha jumped in the pool without pinching her nose. He missed so many things.”

He is the one grasping her hand now.

“At least your mother was there.”

He closes his eyes briefly.

“Yes. Teena was there. Until she was not anymore. When Sam was taken, I was old enough to go to the pool on my own. But I still wanted her to see how fast I was progressing. I wanted to get her approval and somehow be forgiven for having lost Sam. I thought maybe if I become as good as she were, if I make my school’s swimming team… maybe she would come back to the pool with me. From that day on I trained, I timed myself, I spent so much time at the pool that I could bet you my hair would never go dry.”

He breathes in. Than out.

“The time came to do the tryouts for the swimming team. I went there without telling my parents. And they chose me. I made the second-best time in a crawl race. Over the following weeks, they trained me, I improved my swimming abilities and techniques. Coach asked me to take part in the annual opening season competition. I was so glad I could finally show her how good a swimmer I'd become.”

Mulder bows his head to look Scully in the eyes.

"But my mother never came. Despite her not being there, on the day of the competition, I swam so hard, so fast and with so much energy. I won first place and broke a ten-year-old record. I had proved I was good. I thought… maybe now she’ll want to see me next time I race for my school.”

Scully tightens her grip on his fingers.

“Did she?”

He avoids her gaze.

“No.”

She captures his face between her palms and makes him lower his head to kiss his forehead soothingly.

**Author's Note:**

> Random headcanon. Comments welcome! :)


End file.
